Not your average lawn sign
It’s not unusual to see lawn signs pop up during an election campaign — but there’s one particular type of sign cropping up around Hamilton that’s been turning heads.
Several signs reading “Doug Ford for Premier” have been spotted in Hamilton, particularly in Hamilton Centre (one on a lawn near Tim Hortons field; another on the corner of Chatham and Frid Streets). While it’s the norm for political parties to post signs promoting their local candidates, it’s rare to see signs for a party leader beyond their home riding.
“It’s a very unusual tactic,” said Henry Jacek, professor of political science at McMaster University. “They probably think Doug Ford has a good brand compared to his candidates.”
Ford, the controversial leader of the PCs, is running in his home riding of Etobicoke North. The local PC candidates include Dionne Duncan (Hamilton Centre), Ben Levitt (Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas), Akash Grewal (Hamilton East-Stoney Creek), Esther Pauls (Hamilton Mountain) and Donna Skelly (Flamborough-Glanbrook).
Jacek said that it’s especially unusual for the Conservatives to be promoting their leader outside his or her home riding, as historically, they’ve had very strong local candidates. He says that the PC tradition of recruiting candidates with strong local ties — including mayors and other wellknown community figures — is one of the reasons why the Conservatives were able to secure decades of leadership from the 1940s into the 1980s.
“It sort of tells me that the Conservative party has changed, and the leader is much more important than the candidates,” he said.
The Ontario PC party said it’s up to local riding associations to determine what signs are used on their home turf.
The Hamilton Centre PC riding association could not be reached for comment.